VPN Life is a consumer VPN information site operated by SNI (Supplier Network International), a network specializing in international expansion and global marketing.
This page documents the testing sites, VPNs under review, measurement criteria, and review workflow we use when selecting our recommended VPNs.
VPN performance varies significantly depending on when, where, and which service you connect to. Rather than relying on spec-sheet comparisons, we make our continuous on-site testing transparent so readers can use our recommendations with confidence.
Three Testing Principles
- Test on real devices and real networks. We don’t rely on emulators or one-off speed tests; we run connection tests on the actual lines and devices at our local sites.
- Continuous, long-term testing. In environments where regulations shift — such as China’s Great Firewall — we segment testing periods and update results regularly.
- Independence from VPN providers. Affiliate relationships and incentives do not factor into our rankings. Our judgment is based solely on reader use cases and verified test results.
Testing Sites and Team Members
SNI maintains offices across Japan, China, Singapore, and elsewhere, with team members testing from each location. Because VPN performance is heavily influenced by the country of origin and the local ISP, we treat multi-region testing as essential.
| Region | Cities | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Japan | Tokyo, Osaka | Kazunori Shingo, Yuji Nakayama |
| China | Tianjin, Suzhou, Yuyao, Nanchang | Kazunori Shingo, Luo Dan, Li Xin |
| Singapore | Singapore | Diana Chua |
| South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, etc. | Seoul, Taipei, Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, Manila, Kuala Lumpur, etc. | Assigned as needed |
Testing within mainland China is conducted by team members at our actual on-site offices — Xinxi Enterprise Management (Tianjin) and Heshui Technology (Suzhou) — as part of their regular business activities.
VPNs Under Test
Our editorial team focuses on the major commercial VPNs that appear most often in user inquiries, alongside Chinese-market VPNs with proven performance behind the Great Firewall. We hold paid contracts with the following:
Main VPNs Currently Under Test
- ExpressVPN
- NordVPN
- Surfshark
- MillenVPN
- CyberGhostVPN
- Private Internet Access
- 12VPX
- UCSS
- Suika VPN
- Sekai VPN
- GlocalVPN
This list is not fixed. We add new services to our testing scope based on market emergence and reader interest. As a rule, we do not recommend services we have not tested.
Measurement Criteria
We use the following 10 dimensions for each recommendation. These are the same criteria published in How to Choose a VPN.
| Category | What we measure |
|---|---|
| 1. Track record | Years in service, user base, third-party audits |
| 2. Pricing | List price, effective monthly rate on long-term plans, refund window, free trial |
| 3. Speed | Download / upload throughput, measured per testing site and per server country |
| 4. Usability | App UI, auto-connect, Kill Switch, supported OSes and devices |
| 5. Servers and countries | Country count, server count, presence in specific countries (Japan, US, UK, Korea, etc.) |
| 6. Simultaneous connections | Devices per single contract |
| 7. Geo-block bypass | Unblocking U-NEXT, TVer, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max, Korean VOD, etc. |
| 8. Security and anonymity | Protocols, no-log policy, jurisdiction, encryption |
| 9. Customer support | 24/7 availability, response time, supported languages |
| 10. Localization | Japanese app UI, Japanese support, JPY billing |
Testing Workflow
Each review article and ranking goes through this flow:
- Contract and setup. We pay full retail. The site team creates accounts and installs apps across multiple OSes (Windows / macOS / iOS / Android).
- Feature verification. We confirm Kill Switch, split tunneling, dedicated IP, obfuscated servers, and other advertised features behave as claimed on real devices.
- Speed measurement. We measure download / upload speeds across server countries from each location, aligning timing across VPNs for fair comparison at the same site and the same time slot.
- Geo-block testing. We watch real content end-to-end — from outside Japan to Japanese VOD, and from Japan to overseas VOD — to verify playback.
- China-environment connectivity testing. China-based members log connection success rates and disconnect frequency on lines they use for actual business operations. We re-measure before and after Great Firewall update events.
- Article publishing. The data feeds into editorial review. We publish only after testing site, period, and tester are noted at the article footer.
- Updates. We review every quarter, with immediate updates when VPN providers change specifications or when regulations shift.
Testing Logs (China)
VPNs in the China environment are most affected by regulatory shifts, so we archive results by testing period. Recent windows:
- April – September 2024
- October – December 2024
- January – March 2025
- April – June 2025
- July – October 2025
- November 2025 – February 2026
- March 2026 – present (ongoing)
Detailed results are documented in VPNs That Work in China.
Contact
Requests for new VPN coverage or feedback on existing articles can be sent through the form on our About page. We test as needed and update or add articles based on the input.